Folding unitary screen.



I. E. PALMER.

FOLDINGUNITARY SCREEN. APPLICATION FILED Nov.'11,'-1911.

1,023,094. Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT orrion.

ISAAC E. PALMER, OF MID'DLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE I. E. PALMER 00., OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

FOLDING UNITARY SCREEN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Application filed November 17, 1911. Serial No. 660,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC E. PALMER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Folding Unitary Screens, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. 1

This invention relates to folding unitary screens preferably composed of woven open mesh textile material and adapted to be sold or used in its entirety or in divisible or segregable portions thereof as may be desired.

In order that the principles of the invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view with parts broken away of a screen embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation representing a portion of the screen in partially folded condition; Fig. 3 is a vertical section upon the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse section upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a detail showing an edge view of the slat receiving hem; and Fig. 6 is a detail in plan view showing the openings in the hem between the slat sections.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a screen of suitable material, such, for example, as an open mesh woven fabric generally similar it may be to what is known as mosquito netting, but preferably woven of stronger material than customarily employed for such purposes. The term screen is herein employed in a generic sense, as the screen need not necessarily be of open mesh material, but may be closely woven or otherwise formed so as to be available as an interior partition or for similar purposes. An important use of myinvention, however, is as a porch or veranda screen.

In accordance with the preferred type of my invention, I weave the material as an open mesh fabric of wide dimensions, as, for example, one hundred inches in width and of indefinite length, though if desired the screen may be formed in relatively short lengths so as to be sold in stated lengths without cutting. I contemplate selling the screen either in its extreme width, which may be one hundred inches or such other suitable width as I may desire, or any suitable divisions thereof, and so form the screen that it may be readily secured in position either in its entirety,- that is, in its full width, or in any suitable divison or segregable portion thereof. In carrying out my invention, I preferably provide hems at the upper and lower edges of the screen and provide sectional slats for said hems, each slat section preferably terminating along a desired line of fold of the screen or along a line of division thereof thus permitting the screen, if sold in its entire width or in a width eater than asingle section of the slat, to be folded into smaller compass, while at the same time providing means for readily securing the screen in position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the screen as a whole is indicated at 1, it being preferably formed of suitable warp and weft threads into an open mesh fabric. Preferably .at one or more of its edges and preferably at both its upper and its lower edge, I provide suitable means for securing divisional slats thereto, so that the screen may readily be secured in position and be held evenly throughout its entire width. To this end, I preferably provide pockets, herein shown as hems 22 at the upper and lower edges and insert therein slats 33 having suitable formations, such as holes 4 for securing the slats to the intended support. Inasmuch as I contemplate selling the screen either in its entirety and of its full width, say one hundred inches, or any suitable divisions thereof, I form the slats 3 in sections preferably wholly disconnected from each other as illustrated so that the goods may be out along vertical lines between the slat sections. By providing slats the screen may be secured at top and bottom with fewer screws or nails than would be practicable were slats notprovided. Moreover the securing means may be such that the screen may be readily taken down when not in use and without injury thereto.

The slat sections may be inserted in the hems 2 in any suitable manner, but preferably the hems are provided with openings 5, shown in Fig. 6, adjacent the ends of the slat sections, so as to permit the ready insertion of said slat sections. Preferably also each hem is open at its opposite ends as indicated at 6 in Fig. 5. If desired and preferably the screen is provided with hems 7 at its vertical edges to stiffen and protect the same.

The slat sections are preferably of a length substantially conforming to a un1t ofmeasurement of the flexible strip. For example, each slat section may be one yard in width or slightly less than a yard, so as to permit the goods to be readily cut into one or two yard widths between the slat sections, or each slat section may be substantially one-third, one-fourth, one-fifth or the like of the full width of the screen, thus permitting the ready cutting of the goods without compelling other measurement thereof.

The screen may be sold either in its full width or any division thereof with the sectional slats inserted, or the screen may be sold in its full or any divisional widths without slats, which may be separately furnished or supplied by the purchaser, the screen having the described hem or formation with periodic openings, so that the pu r chaser may insert the sectional slats therein.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that the screen constitutes an article of manufacture and sale either in its entirety or in segregable portions thereof, and that in either form it may be readily positioned for use and readily removed. .By providing the sectional slats, the life of the screen .is greatly prolonged, because the screen is not injured in placing it in or re moving it from its position of use. Moreover, the formation of the sectional slats of lengths conforming to a known unit of measurement permits the more ready handling of the material in known widths without re-measurement.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for'purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1. A folding unitary screen as an article of manufacture and sale consisting of a flexible strip ofscreen material having one edge at least provided with a hem, and a screensecuring slat inserted in said hem, said slat being formed of foldable sections having lengths conforming to desiredfolding lines of said flexible strip, said fabric being divisible into sections complete in themselves between said slat sections.

3. A folding unitary screen as an article of manufacture and sale consisting of a flexible strip of screen material having one edge at least provided with a hem and a screensecuring slat composed of wholly disconnected sections removably inserted in said hem.

4. A folding unitary screen as an article of manufacture and sale consisting of a flexible strip ,of screen material having one edge at least provided with a hem, and a screensecuring slat composed of wholly disconnected sections inserted in said hem and hav ing securing formations, said sections having lengths conforming substantially to units of measurement of said flexible stri 5. A folding unitary screen as an artic e of manufacture and sale consisting of a flexible strip of screen material having two opposite edges each provided with a removable slat formed of folding sections, the sections of each slat being of such length that their ends terminate at or adjacent to desired folding lines of the said flexible strip.

6. A folding unitary screen as an article of manufacture and sale, consisting of a flexible, foldable strip of screen material having apocket, and a screen-securing slat inserted in said pocket, said slat being formed of foldable sections having lengths conforming to desired folding lines of said flexible strip.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC E. PALMER.

Witnesses:

Gno. O. HAINs, REUBEN M. BURR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

